Fire alarms vary in complexity and control. There are basically four types of fire alarm control panels. The original and simplest fire alarm control panels were coded panels. These panels gave way to newer electronic conventional control panels. Multiplex panels were the transition from conventional control panels to modern day addressable fire alarm control panels. Coded and conventional control panels are not utilized today unless "grandfathered".
Conventional fire alarm control panels will show an alarm in a generalized zone when a signaling device has been activated, such as smoke detector or pull station. These panels were not able to provide specific details as to which signaling device was tripped and in what specific room, In this instance, every individual extinguishing device, such as a fire sprinkler head, would be activated thereby flooding an entire zone. The majority of small businesses, older schools or hospitals and retail shopping centers were commonly set up with this type of system.
While prior systems were only able to notify the user of a fire in a generalized zone, the functionality of addressable control panels were now able to pinpoint which individual or multiple signaling devices have been activated, such as a pull station or smoke detector. Addressable fire alarm systems used today are essentially a computer network which communicates with each individual signaling device, sensor and even additional panels.
It is quite common for modern day fire alarm control systems to make use of multiple control panels due to the complexity and needs of a commercial facility or business. A typical example would be to have multiple buildings of a facility have their own panels, which could detect input signals from specific smoke detectors or other signaling device. These panels would then activate a different panel which governs the output of particular extinguishing devices. By activating only one or a few specific sprinkler heads other areas of the property or sensitive records can be spared the damaging effects of flooding. A supervisory control panel or monitor station would normally be used to keep tabs on all individual panels.
While fire sprinklers are usually the most common extinguishing device used, there are several other methods for extinguishing fires. Depending upon the particular nature of the building and business, a system which does not rely on water as an extinguishing agent may be preferred. An example of this scenario would be a fire occurring in a computer data center or parts of a chemical plant.
New construction will allow the fire alarm company to truly customize the fire alarm and suppression system. There is usually not a situation with multiple brands of panels being installed. Where a challenge arises is when there is an existing fire control system. Many brands use proprietary standards and may not be able to communicate with other differing brands of equipment.
Over simplified as this summary is, a professional fire alarm company will be able to recommend and install a system which will fulfill the exact needs of the corporation or commercial facility. Planning is the key to providing a safe environment. While more complex fire alarms and suppression systems will incur a higher cost, the overall expense could be much worse without the proper system in place.
For more information on the topic of fire safety and fire alarms, please visit http://www.brothersfire.com.
Article independently authored by Daniel Elliott. The content herein may or may not reflect the views and opinions of Brothers Fire.
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